Sandown called off as riders rebel over phones

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MANY convinced themselves it could never happen but, just before 5pm last night, they were proved wrong. Tomorrow’s meeting at Sandown Park was abandoned after being boycotted by virtually every professional Flat jockey in the country, a united show of militancy against the new restrictions on their use of mobile phones.

Sandown, targeted by the jockeys because it is owned by racing’s regulatory body, the Jockey Club, tried everything to salvage the meeting. Declaration time for jockeys was extended by 90 minutes, after which directors of the course held a protracted meeting. They finally decided that to proceed with no